Improved peat machine



I d2 Shets$heet 1. MS. ROBERTS I d y Peat Machine. I

No. 63,751. PatentedApril 9,, 1867.

2'Sheets-Sheet 2. M. S. ROBERTS Peat Machine.

Patented April 9 1867.

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MARVIN S. ROBERTS, 0F LEWISTON, NEW YORK.

Lam P -an N 63,751, dated April 9, 1867.

IMPROVE D PEAT MAOHINE.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERNL,

Be it known that I, Ma'avnr Si Returns, of Lewiston, in the county of Niagara, and State 'of New York, have invented new and useful improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Peat; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art .to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The present invention relates to a machine 'for the manufacture of peat, of that class embraced in the schedule annexed to the LettersPatent granted to me on the fifteenth day of August, A. D. 1865, and itconsists, first, in so constructing arranging, and hanging the outer end or section of the frame in which the endless conveyor is placed, for carrying the peat gathered from the bed or ground to the grinding-mill" employed for preparing the peat for fuel, that it can be not only raised or lowered but also brought to any desired inclination with regard to the surface of the ground or peat-bed, and in such position fixed or secured, as and for a purpose to be hereinafter described; second, in forming the bottom of the mill for grinding and preparing the peat, of v a series of knives, extending in radial lines from the centre of the mill, with their cutting edges up, and in one and the same horizontal plane, leaving openings between them. These knives as above described, are secured in and to a common frame, attached to the driving-shaft of the mill, and revolving with it, in combination with which the sides of the mill are fixed or stationary, between and across from each of which are so hung a series of partitions, at suitable distances apart, entirely around the mill, that, while they will serve as rests for the peat, so that the knives can cut it as the frame moves around, they can at the same time adjust themselves to the quality of the peat in the mill, and obviate and remove all possibility of the operation of the mill being obstructed in the least degree; the peat,.as fast as thus cut up bythe action of the said knives, passing through the spaces between them down into a box below, the construction and arrangement of which forms the third part of this invention, while any large particles of wood or stones, &c., upon which the knives cannot act, are discharged from the mill through an opening in its sides, by securing a stationary partition in the mill, at such a position with regard to the said opening as to guide and pass such materials to and out through the same. The box, which, as before stated, forms the third part of the present invention, has its bottom stationary, and its sides secured to the driving-shaft of the mill so as to revolve in conjunction with it; across which bottom, in radial lines, from one side of the mill ,to the other, a series of upright partitions are secured, fixed at each end to the sides of the box, but with an open space between their lower edges and the box-bottom, by means of which partitions the peat is caused to be carried along and upon the bottom of the mill, still further grinding and pulverizing the peat, from whence it escapes through an opening in the bottom of the box.

Having thus in general terms stated the principal features of my present invention, I will now proceed to.

describe the same, as well as other minor improvements in detail, reference being bad to the accompanying plates of drawings, in which- Figure 1, plate 1, is a plan or .top view of the machine. Figure 2, plate 2,72, vertical section, taken in the plane of the line a: x, fig. 1; and Figure 3, plate 2, a vertical section taken in the plane of the line 3/ y, fig. 1. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. A A, in the drawings, represent the framework of the machine, which is to be of any suitable construction to receive its working parts; B, the driving-shaft of the machine, placed in avertical position, and turning in bearings at or near each of its ends, of the framework A, to which shaft, respectively above and below the upper table or top 0 of the framework A, the frame D, in which the endless conveyor E, for carrying the peat to the grinding-mil], and the endless apron F, for distributing the same therefrom, after being ground, are connected through bevel gears G, in a similar manner and for a similar purpose to that described in the schedule annexed to the Letters Patent hereinbeforc referred to, and therefore needing no further or more particular explanation herein. The conveyor-frame D, in the present instance, is formed in three sections or parts, H, I, and J, the first, H, of which rests upon the top of the framework A, swinging by its arm K upon the driving shaft B ah a centre, and interlocking, by the bevel gear-wheel L of its horizontal transverse shaft M, with the bevel gear-wheel G, on the upper end of the driving-shaft B. The next section, I, 'is connected to the outer end of the section H, so as to freely swing in a vertical plane; and to its lower end, N, the other section, J, is also hung, so as to swing, and thus be brought to any desired angle with eference to the section H, the threesections forming a continuous frame. The conveyor E is made in sections hinged together,and passes over suitable transverse rollers or guides, o, of its frame 1), to keep it in its place; the conveyor extending from one end of its frame to the other, with a series of buckets, P P, of any desired number, and at suitable distances apart, along its entire longth, these buckets being hung to the said conveyor in such a manner'that they can freely pass around the rollers at each end of the conveyor-frame for the conveyor. By these buckets P, as the conveyor to which they are hung moves around and in its frame, the peat is taken up from the bed, and in them carried upward to the mill B, into which the peat ineach bucket is delivered as they in turn come over the top of the mill, when the bucket conveyor continuing its movement, such buckets again enter the peat bed, shovelling, and taking up more of its peat and delivering itto the mill, and so on as long as may be desired, the outer and lower end of the conveyor-frame being raised or lowered and brought to any angle with reference to, its main portion or length, according as may be found necessary for the better shovelling or picking up of the peat by the conveyor-buckets, by means of the following arrangement of devices, connected to the said frame D; Q, a vertical frame projecting above the lower end of the frame-section I, and secured thereto between the flanges S S of which, and upon each side of the frame I, a toothed -or rack-bar, T, is placed, resting by their lower ends upon the ground. With the rack-bars T, pinion-wheels U U engage, secured to a common transverse shaft, V, turning in bearings of the frame I, on the outer end of which shaft is a crank-handle, W, for turning the same. By turning the pinion-wheel shaft V, it is obvious that the outer' and lower end of the frame-section I can be either raised or lowered, according to the direction in which the shaft is turned, consequently raising or lowering the outer end of the lower section J from or to the ground; this section being then set at any desired angle with regard to the main portion of the conveyor-frame by winding upon or unwinding from the Windlass X, having erankhandle Y for turning it, the cord Z passing therefrom through a guide, A of the vertical frame Q to the section J, to the projecting arm B of which it is tied or otherwise properly fastened. The cord wound upon the Windlass X is prevented from unwinding by means of the ratchet-wheel C fixed to the windlass, and. pawl D hung to the vertical frame Q;

I From the above description it is plain to be seen that the conveyor-frame can be brought, at its lower end, to the most desirable position for the buckets of the conveyor to enter the peat-bed, and shovel or take up itspeat, in which, as before stated, it is carried and delivered to the mill R, the construction and arrangement of which will be now explained, the conveyor-frame being susceptible of being swung around upon the drivingshaft B as a centre, without disconnection, for the same purpose as that described in the. schedule annexed to the Letters Patent heretofore referred to. The bottom of that portion of the mill B into which the peat falls from the endless conveyor, consists of a horizontal frame E secured to the driving-shaft B, and revolving with it, in which frame, or that portion between the two fixed concentric sides F of the mill R, a series of smaller knives G are fixed in a radial direction from the centre of the mill, leaving opening spaces, H between them, and with their cutting edges up, and in one and the same horizontal plane. Across from one side, F to the other of the mill, and in the space embraced between them, are hung, at suitable distances apart, a series of swinging partition-plates, P, that rest upon the top of the knives G where, by their own weight, or the use of springs if necessary, they are held, forming rests for the knives to act against as the common frame in which they are secured is revolved, and thereby cut and break up the peat in the mill, the fine particles of which pass through the spaces between the knives into the box J below, while at the same time the said partitions I are allowed to rise, so that such large particles or portions of peat and foreign substances upon which the knives cannot act can freely pass under them, until, coming to the fixed partition K of the mill, they are guided by it out of the mill through an opening, L in its side, the obstruction of the null by this means being rendered entirely impossible. The bottom plate M? of the box J below the mill, hereinabove described, is stationary, while its sides, N are secured to the driving-shaft B, and revolve in conjunction with it, the sides being connected together by cross radial partitions, O fixed at each end to the sides N with their edges slightly abovethe bottom-plate M By these partitions O, the peat falling upon the bottom plate M from the mill above, is carried and scraped along thereon, thereby becoming still more disintegrated or ground to pieces, until, coming to the opening P in the bottom plate M it escapes and falls through it to and between the rollers QtQ. arranged below, and hung so as to revolve with their axes parallel to each other, in the upper portion of the inner end of the'distributor-frame. These rollers Q are geared together so as to revolve at unequal velocities, and through one of the gears of the rollers it is connected with a gear-wheel upon the horizontal transverse; shaft of the distributor, having a bevel gear-wheel upon its inner end, interlocking with a' similar bevel gear-' wheel fixed to the lower end of the driving-shaft'B. The peat, in passing between the rollers Q becomes still further mashed or broken up and brought into a somewhat plastic condition, as well as a great amount of its moisture expressed from it, the revolving of the rollers at unequal velocities not only preventing the peat from becoming blocked by and between them, but also causing the peat to be pulled through and between them, and thereby more fully disintegrating it, as is obvious. The peat, having passed between the rollers Q fall through the endless distributor upon the bottom T of the frame in which it moves, upon which it is carried or scraped along by the several transverse strips or division-plates U of the distributor, until, reaching the opening V in the said bottom T it falls through it to the ground, upon which it is compactly pressed by the weight of the distributor-frame, as well as the scraping of the several plates, U of the distributor over it, as the distributor passes around in its frame, running over rollers, X X at each end of the same, andreceiving motion through the bevel-gear of the lower end of the driving-shaft hereinbefore referred to. To the side of the distributor-frame a marking-device, Y is hung, the use of which is to mark out the peat spread upon the ground by the distributor intoicakes for use as fuel. The inner end of the distributor-frame is secured to the bottom plate M of the box, so that if the said distributor is swung round as it is intended to be, in order to more fully distribute the peat upon the ground, the bottom plate moves with it, the opening through such plate being thus always in communication with the distributor.

Having thus described my invention, I'claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. So hanging and arranging the outer section of the conveyor-frame to its main portion that it can be raised or lowered, and set at any desired anglewith regard thereto, substantially as and for the purpose described. 2. Forming the bottom of the mill of a series of knives or cutter-blades, fixed in a common revolving frame, in combination with the partitions or plates hung across such portion of the mill, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The fixed partition-plate of the mill, described, for the purpose set forth.

4. .The arrangement of the series of scrapers in the bott 5. The open endless distributor, having a series of partitions or cross: of the frame in which it moves, substantially as and for the purpose described.

in combination with the side opening thereof, substantially as 0th box of the mill, as and for the purpose described. plates, in combination with the bottom MARVIN S. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

L. R. SANBORN, VY. H. SANBORN. 

